The sights and scents of being back home!

Four days back, I landed in London.. Back to a place I consider my second home. It was an amazing feeling. You are back to a place in your past and you feel you had never ever left!

The streets are the same, the shops are the same, the sights and feel is the same. You experience again, all those things you loved (and hated) about the city. The British accent, the formality in the people, the walking around, the fresh air, the pretty buildings everywhere you go, the crowds at Oxford Street and the idling of Hyde Park. Its all still there! And yes it makes you feel happy that some things are still the same...

What a welcome it was.. London has had an amazing sunny and warm last few days.. Loved every minute of it! Of reliving those times.. again..

California : Yosemite National Park

Last weekend, we did a short trip to the Yosemite National Park. We drove from Cupertino and it took us about 4 hours or so to reach the park. The drive was across the Californian countryside, small towns and yellow hills and barren land.

Once inside the park, we drove onto the Yosemite Valley, which is the most popular part of the Park. Our first view of the valley from one of the viewpoints was of a narrow green winding path created by a small blue stream flowing through it and surrounded by huge white mountains on both sides. Gorgeous, isn't it?

Once we reached the Valley, we stopped at a couple of places next to the Merced River. The weather was so hot (30+ degrees) that the cool water in the river provided a much need break.! The green and the blue provided a great opportunity to click some pictures too:).






Next, we stopped at the BridalVeil Falls, which was quite dry in the heat. But when there was some wind, the water would blow in the wind direction and not fall down at all! Was almost like a veil of water in the air..

Thereafter, we entered the Valley and what a nightmare it turned out to be! The weather and the crowds was a big put off. We had to park our car outside the village since there was a huge traffic jam. And so we explored the park using the free park shuttle which takes you around the area. We crossed some green and yellow picturesque meadows on the way, which were all a bright yellow. We walked to the Yosemite Falls which were dry and did not have a drop of water! Apparently the Vernal Falls had some water but it was too strenuous a trek to do.

The grand sheer cliffs on both sides of the Valley were a mesmerizing sight. Straight bare huge white cliffs.. on either side, what a feeling they give! What a reverence for nature it brings out, such powerful nature!









We did not do much that day, but figured out a lot of options for the next time:). Half Dome is a favorite among rock climbers whereas Glacier Point is for people preferring to get a good view of the Valley.  The Mirror Lake trek is popular, but it was closed this time. Also, there are many many camping locations all along the park which might be the best way to get the most out of it.

Another thing I noticed was that the Park is a photographer's delight. There are just so many options, everywhere you look is a sight waiting to be captured. No wonder this place is so popular!

 

After exploring the Valley, we called it a day and drove towards our night halt, which was at Oakhurst near the south gate of the park. We stopped at the Tunnel view for a last view of the Valley, and it was majestic - Half Dome and El Capitan on both sides holding the valley between them, a real painting by nature.

On the drive to the South Gate, we also saw the Sequoia Grove which have these massive sequoia trees growing there. The trees were definitely huge. But we did not understand what all the hype was about these groves! We also passed the Wanona Hotel which is a historic hotel located in a scenic area with plenty of trails around. Might be a fun place to stay.

At night we stayed at the Wild Rose in Oakhurst. The next morning we took a different path, on the Tioga Pass which was at a much higher height and so cooler and less crowded than the Valley.  The drive was pretty with cedar and fir trees all around. 

We stopped at one camping ground, the White Wolf and did a short 3 hour trek to Lakerns Lake. It was a small lake but a pretty trail with wildflowers growing all around. The weather was also much better making the experience more enjoyable!

We also drove through the Olmsted Point, which interested me greatly. Apparently the whole of Yosemite Valley and surrounding areas were formed by flowing glaciers millions of years ago. And when those glaciers melted, they left many stones perched at weird locations and positions like at the Olmsted Point. Isn't it fascinating?

The view of the Yosemite Valley from the Olmsted Point was good. (I felt Yosemite has very magnificent view all around, don't you too?)

We also stopped at the Tanaya Lake, which was just picture perfect as apparently there are all along the way!





So after a quick dip in the lake, we started out back for Cupertino, back to the city life of gray from the blues and the greens.

Back from the trip, the major thing I realized was that Yosemite was definitely not a place for the summers! The weather and crowds during summers are both a dampener! The Park definitely has a lot of potential: immense beauty and multiple activities for engagement, a great place for camping and exploring the wild, but not the Valley. It would be a better bet to camp and explore in the Wilderness or the Tioga Pass road than the crowded Valley, that would definitey be an experience worthy of such a location.

US cross country drive (3) : Flagstaff to San Francisco

US cross country drive (1) : Durham to Fort Smith

US cross country drive (2) : Fort Smith to Flagstaff

Over the next 7 days we visited various places in the states of Arizona, Nevada and California and finally reached our destination, San Francisco.

Day 9 : Flagstaff (Arizona) - 280 miles - Antelope Canyon and Horse Shoe Point -  Flagstaff (Arizona)

We stayed at Flagstaff for a couple of days and did some day trips nearby. The first day, we went to Antelope Canyon and Horse Shoe Point in Page, about 140 miles from Flagstaff. The terrain was totally barren all along the road with yellow-orange sand dunes everywhere and no trace of any vegetation anywhere!

You approach the canyon by walking through a sandy track. The Antelope Canyon was made by rain and water running over rocks over long periods of time in different patterns. The rocks are red in color and look stunning when sun rays fall inside through the rocks.

This place is a paradise for photographers, as sunlight comes into the canyon only for some time around noon. With the movement of the sun, the sun rays fall at different angles and create intricate patterns and colors. You can spend hours taking photographs of the area from different locations and angles, with light playing games with the terrain.

After the Antelope Canyon, we went to the Powel Lake. It was a surprise to see the bright blue Colorado river flowing in the vast dry yellow desert, it made for an unexpected but serene scene. The Glen Canyon dam has also been constructed on the river for power generation. The Powel lake is created at the location of the dam and is a mesmerizing sight in itself. There are watersports also near the lake plus it is ideal for swimming on a warm summer day!

We also visited the Horse Shoe Point nearby where the Colorado river is visible from a height of 300 feet like a shiny sapphire blue in the shape of a horse shoe with orange terrain all around. It was a magnificent sight, felt unreal, just like a painting!

All these points of interest are located near the town of Page and one can easily spend a day in and around here checking out these spots. They are a nice place for a picnic day and very close to Flagstaff. We spent sometime exploring these places and returned back to Flagstaff in the evening.

Day 10 : Flagstaff (Arizona) - 140 miles - Grand Canyon - Williams (Arizona)

The next day, we visited the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the 'seven natural wonders of the world'. We drove 30 miles west from Flagstaff along the I-40 and then took the state highway 64. It was a good drive, with green bushes all along the road. The Canyon is about 57 miles north of the town of Williams. To visit the canyon, you can either stay at the town of Williams or the Grand Canyon village.

The Grand Canyon is a unique geographical feature created by the river Colorado flowing from east to west. Its a long and deep gorge about 4500 feet in height. There is not much vegetation there either, just layers and layers of stone in brown, till wherever your eyes can see.

The whole experience was great, standing at the top of the canyon and seeing the wide expanse on all sides. Such a grand structure can only be created by nature. It is otherwise even very difficult to imagine making something like this.

We spent a couple of hours there, walking around and admiring the beauty and power of nature to create such wonders. In the evening we came back to Williams, a nearby town and spent the night there.

Day 11 : Williams (Arizona) - 80 miles - Flagstaff (Arizona)

After ten days of driving, we decided to take a rest day in between and relaxed at Flagstaff. During the day, we visited two lakes nearby, the Mormon lake and the Upper Mary lake. These were good picnic spots with lots of shade and tall pine trees around. The Upper Mary lake is good for swimming in the summer as well as some water sports which they have. There are lots of people there with their boats enjoying the cool breeze.

We also went to see the springs in the nearby forests. Its another good site to visit and spend some time. Overall, there are many places near Flagstaff to enjoy a nice day of relaxation and just picnic a bit.

Day 12 : Flagstaff (Arizona) - 250 miles - Las Vegas (Nevada)

Back to our hectic traveling, we left Flagstaff along I-40 and took the state highway 93 for Las Vegas. It was a long and quiet stretch of road with deserted lands all along and no greenery anywhere till you reach Las Vegas. On the way we stopped at Hoover Dam on the river Colorado just as it enters the state of Nevada. It was a nice place for a small halt along the road.

Once in Vegas, we had a nice time. Known as the Sin-City, Vegas has it all. The main street called 'the strip' has hotels and casinos on both sides. The Casinos are open 24 hours. We went and played in the casino to get a feel of it.

We also checked out some of the famous hotels and what they had to offer, the fountains at Bellagio, the Ceasars palace, the Venetian and all. Vegas is famous for its shows and we also got a chance to see on in the hotel Wynn itself where we were staying.

Vegas is sometimes difficult to imagine, a grand city with lights and huge hotels built right in the middle of a desert, its just like an oasis. There is not much to say about the city, its all well-known. Its a city that never sleeps, dazzles its visitors and doesnt let any of them sleep either! It has so much to enchant them all with..

Day 13 : Las Vegas (Nevada) - 60 miles - Pahrump (Nevada)

We woke up late as we had spent a lot of time the previous day checking out the city. In the morning also we went to some of the hotels and casinos around, the Ceasar Palace with its delicate landscaping and the Greek experience and the Venetian with their gondolas and experience of Venice.

After spending some more time in the casinos, we started for Pahrump along the state highway 93 situated on the border of Nevada and California where we were staying for the night. The terrain along the road was again dry and sandy, just a desert. The weather was again warm and there was no habitation along the route. Once in Pahrump, we just relaxed at the hotel, had a nice swim and since we could not find any Indian restaurant in the vicinity, had a bread sandwich for dinner and retired to bed.

Day 14 : Pahrump (Nevada) - 300 miles - Death Valley -  Yosemite (California)

After breakfast, we left Pahrump for the Death Valley National Park. All along the road was just a stony desert. As the name suggests, nothing survives in this area. In the early parts of the last century, Borax mines were very popular in the area but later on the mining was also abandoned.

After death valley, we went to the Bad Waters area of the valley, a place 285 feet below sea level! The temperatures here are hot, when we were there, it was 45 deg C!! Even the vehicles get over heated in this area. For the same reason, there are multiple signs placed along the road warning you to switch off your car air conditioners to avoid engine overheating. In fact we also had to shut off the engine for sometime for it to cool. There is a lot of natural salt available at the Bad Waters. Surprisingly there is also a golf course in the death valley (or that's what it looks like!).

The mountains and the Canyons look desolate and hungry and frightening, as if death is staring at you. The whole region has been aptly named, its so dead! But all in all, it was a unique experience driving through the Death Valley .

After crossing the Death Valley we moved on towards the Yosemite National Forests. As we drove, we gained height, upto 4000 feet above sea level. Once we crossed the river Owens, we suddenly entered a green belt with lot of trees and green fields all around. We entered Bishoptown and felt relieved on seeing civilization and habitation finally!!

As we moved on further, we gained height and the vegetation also changed to pine trees and other high altitude trees. At 9,990 feet, we crossed the Tioga pass with snow still visible on the mountains peaks even in the month of June. The whole area was pretty and worth spending time just admiring its beauty. There were many lakes around and the drive through the forest was refreshing. We spent a part of the evening walking and exploring nearby and spent the night at Yosemite.

Day 15 : Yosemite (California) - 170 miles - Death Valley -  San Francisco (California)

After spending 14 days on the road and driving across 9 states witnessing different terrains, people, vegetations and temperatures from 45 deg C to 0 deg C, we finally moved towards our destination, San Francisco, California.

The moment you enter California, you see greenery. A well developed agriculture and a good irrigation system by way of canals. While driving from Yosemite to SF on the I-580, you come across lots of fruit orchards also along the highway, a complete change from the states of Nevada and Arizona which we had left behind.

Once in San Francisco, you are back to civiliation, you see a well developed city, with concrete and tall buildings and roads going up and down along the hills in the city. The climate suddenly becomes cooler and the vegetation greener.

It was different than the US we witnessed along our long trip. Felt like a different world altogether. The trip was long and fun. We saw a lot, explores a lot, saw the many different faces of this huge and vast country called the United States. It was a fun experience for us, tiring but once in a lifetime experience. Would definitely recommend it to anyone fond of exploring the world and experiencing different worlds.

US cross country drive (2) : Fort Smith to Flagstaff

US cross country drive (1) : Durham to Fort Smith

In the next 5 days we crossed the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.

Day 4 : Fort Smith (Arkansas) - 350 miles - Shamrock (Texas)

In the morning, we first went to see the Fort Smith located on the Fourth Street in the town, on the banks of the river Arkansas. The Fort Smith was an old building constructed in 1888, to house the Jail, the district courts and the troops to maintain law order in the area. The fort also served as a supply depot for troops fighting the Red Indians in the old times. 

The building today is converted into a museum displaying photographs of the period of the federal fights against the Red Indians, the court proceedings of those times and the jail used to house the outlawed Indians. It also displays the guns and other arms of yesteryears. 

After checking out the fort, we drove back on the I-40 and after crossing the river Arkansas moved into the state of Oklahoma: 'the land of Red Indians'. It is a dry state with hardly any forest cover with red soil all around. The weather became warm by now, and you don't get to see many people around also. It is just barren all around. The people en-route seemed polite and they were all very similar looking : well built, tall, tough- looking rough and all sporting mustaches! The typical hinterland Americans!

While moving along the I-40, we suddenly came across a bill-board on the right saying 'Sajhi Roti' written in Gurmukhi, a script used by Sikhs in India. On following the directions on the board, we kept moving around in circles and finally reached a road side Dhaba run by a Sardarji from India!! Of course the board sign had been put up in the opposite direction to the dhaba, but once we got there, we were served very delicious Indian food, typical India style.

After a filling dinner, we moved along the highway and reached Shamrock in Texas and checked in at Holiday Inn to spend the night. Shamrock was a small sleepy village with hardly any people seen on the roads. We just had a nice swim in the pool which was refreshing in the hot weather and retired for the night as there wasn't much to explore in the little village.

Day 5 : Shamrock (Texas) - 270 miles - Tucumcari (New Mexico) via Palo Duro Canyon

After spending the previous night comfortably at the Holiday Inn just next to the highway, we set out early by about 9 am and set our GPS for Amarillo, a major town in north Texas. We drove along the highway for 100 miles and we were able to maintain a good speed of about 80 mph as there were hardly any vehicles on the road. The entire stretch was very thinly inhabited and we could not see any habitation for miles on both sides. All we could see were some cattle grazing in the vast dry grass fields on both sides of the road. There was no greenery at all but for few bushes in the fields here and there.

On reaching Amarillo, we moved south along I-27 for Palo Duro Canyon State Park. In the park, we saw deep ravines with 27-30 layers of rocks in various colors and textures. There were many walking, horse and bicycle trails in the park and we decided to walk to the Light House along one such trail.

The trail was 3.5 miles one way and the day turned out to be too hot, 101 Fahrenheit! It was a tough trek and only people who are physically very fit should take the risk as there are chances of dehydration en-route. Lot of people gave up mid-way and returned but we were able to reach the top somehow.

It was a picturesque site at the top of the the light house, which has been designated as the National Natural Monument by the US government. It is a natural feature created due to the effect of rain over a long period but looks just like a man-made lighthouse. On reaching the lighthouse you feel good about being able to complete the trail. It was a tough walk and tests your fitness to the maximum level. 

After the canyon, we returned back to the main highway and stopped at the famous Cadillac Ranch which has a couple of graffiti painted cadillac cars planted into the red Texan soil! It was something different then anything else we have seen and was definitely worth checking out. After the ranch, we drove further for 100 miles and reached a small town called Tucumcari (New Mexico) on the I-40 itself to spend the night at Days Inn.

Day 6 : Tucumcari (New Mexico) - 170 miles - Santa Fe (New Mexico)

In the morning as we got ready to leave the motel, the owner Mr Bhavesh came to us and invited us for a cup of tea at his house as he was also from India, just like us. He was happy to meet us as we had also stayed at his native state of Gujarat for a couple of days and he narrated his success story to us about how he came and started a motel in the US. It's nice to see how happy people from India are to see others from their country!

Anyways, today, we decided to not drive much as the day before had been a hectic one for us. So we travelled for about 170 miles on the I-40 towards Santa Fe. The whole drive was completely barren and for miles and miles you could not see a human or even an animal. Its an absolutely empty desert with no vegetation at all. And the weather here was also very hot. 

Interestingly, en-route, when we stopped at one place for taking a couple of photographs, a lady moving in the opposite direction went past us for about 50 yards, then stopped, took a u-turn and came back us to ask if we wanted some help!! We were really touched by this gesture and also realized, that in a place like this if you get stuck, there is no help for miles either side!!

Anyways, in two hours, we reached Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico and an 'oasis in the desert'. On reaching Santa Fe, the weather which had been warm till now suddenly became quite cold, so much so that we had to put on woolens here!

Santa Fe is a very quaint little place, quite touristy too. All the buildings here have a unique design similar to the mud houses in Rajasthan in India. It was a pleasure to walk through the town admiring its beauty. We also saw the oldest house, the oldest church in US as well as the hanging stairs in the church. And for the Indian food enthusiast, there is a good Indian restaurant named India Palace that serves very tasty Indian food.

In the evening, we checked into the Hilton Golf Resort & Spa, a grand resort in the New Mexico desert, and a place to definitely stay in if you get a chance. It is difficult to imagine such a green lush area right in the middle of a desert! Including a well landscaped green 18-hole golf course!! Anyways the hotel had rooms built in the same mud designs as the rest of Santa Fe. It also houses a Casino, which is the largest in the state. After spending the evening in town, we had a nice swim at the hotel and relaxed.

It was a moonlit night and the resort was looking like a diamond in the desert! It was a special day for me too, my 59th birthday and was lucky to celebrate at such a wonderful location!

Day 7 : Santa Fe (New Mexico) - 300 miles - Holbrook (Arizona)

We started again on the I-40 and after traveling for about 100 Miles through the New Mexican desert, with no sign of any human settlement for miles and miles, we reached the Petrified National Forest Park. Well, its just called a 'forest park' but in reality it is a 28-mile drive through barren painted desert. The rocks here are all multi-colored and multi-layered. They were created due to the sand washed away by rains. This park is also called the 'Bad Land' in local areas. The park also has some craters where it had volcanic eruptions, we checked out a crater nearby.

In the evening, we checked in at Holbrook in Arizona, again a small village on the I-40.

Day 8 : Holbrook (Arizona) - 150 miles - Flagstaff (Arizona)

After spending the night at the small town Holbrook, we started in the morning at 8 AM. We drove through the Arizona desert on I-40 with no vegetation all around and a very hot weather. As we covered about 100 miles, when we entered the city of Flagstaff, suddenly there was a big temperature drop. The weather became cooler and there were tall pine trees all around. Its a sudden change from a desert  landscape to low mountains, from dry bushes and grass to lush green vegetation. It's a great feeling when you enter this town leaving the searing hot and yellow desert behind.

From Flagstaff, we moved another 20 miles along a meandering road through the pine forests along deep gorges and reached Sedona or the Slide Rock National park where there was a nice stream flowing with ice cold water. The water in the stream flows at a very slow speed and is normally 2-4 feet deep but at one place it was about 10-12 feet deep too! People were jumping from the top of a high rock into the stream, I tried the stunt too! We also saw some more deep gorges on the way.

That night, we came back to Flagstaff to stay for the night. We had dinner at Delhi Palace, a nice restaurant that served very tasty Indian food. Its a surprise how even in the smallest of US towns, we were able to find at least one restaurant with good Indian cuisine.

By this time we were at more than halfway through our cross country trip, but still San Francisco looked a long way off. Nearby there were a lot of more places to visit and we ended up staying a couple of days more at Flagstaff itself.

US cross country drive (3) : Flagstaff to San Francisco